It is with sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Mary Ellen (Erskine) Rothwell on October 4, 2019 in Carol Stream, IL. She was 80 years old. Mary is survived by her husband of 56-years, Dr. David J. Rothwell, four adult children, Jennifer (Bradley) Werrell, Mercedes (Jeff Goodman, predeceased) Rothwell, Rebecca (Dave)Heidenreich, and Andrew Rothwell, plus nine grandchildren (Sara, Philip, Zoe, Elizabeth, Harrison, Kenneth, Steven, Dylan, and Hannah), her sister Alice Winnemann, and many beloved relatives and friends including her honorary daughter Inge Desmedt of Belgium. Mary was predeceased by her brother John Erskine in March of this year.

A Memorial Service is scheduled for Saturday, October 12, 2019 at the Hultgren Funeral Home, 304 N. Main Street, Wheaton, IL 60187. A gathering for friends and family will begin at 2:30 p.m. with the service following at 3:30 p.m.

Mary was born in Fox Point, WI, on March 19, 1939, to Arthur and Leone (Schmidt) Erskine, the youngest of three children. Growing up, summers were spent in Door County, Wisconsin, "cabin-ing" and picking cherries. She graduated from Divine Savior High School in 1957. During college, she enjoyed working summers at Thorpe House Resort also in Door County.  After graduating with a BS in Dietetics from Mount Mary College in 1961, Mary started graduate school at Ohio State University. It was at OSU that she met her future husband, David. After moves to Minnesota and Michigan, they arrived in Brookfield, WI in 1970 where they settled for 45 years in the same house.

Mary loved reading, gardening, being outside, walking, collecting art (especially ceramics), biographies, nutrition, natural history, travelling, home-made bread, lard-crusted fruit pies, nuts, scouts, and quilting. She was spiritual in her own way. She especially enjoyed "getting back to nature and simplicity" with her family and friends at their vacation home in Jacksonport, Door County.

Always curious, she loved to learn, especially through what she called "rabbit holes" of the Internet. Some of her favorite sites were Boat Nerd, various Great Lakes web cams, Common Dreams, Molly Ivins, Marion Nestle and Weather Underground. She asked many questions and remembered what people said. She had an unusually clear sense of direction. She always loved keeping in touch with her extended family and her close-knit group of life-long friends.

She was the center of our family, an emotional rock, selfless, intuitive, welcoming and very generous. She was most interested in her kids, grandkids and her friends' well-being, happiest when they were well. One of her life sayings was, "people, not things." She had this hand-written on a paper over her computer after her brain cancer diagnosis. Her grandkids gave her the award of World's Best Grandma and her neurologist called her a "rock star".

She is already greatly missed.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Mary's memory to the DoorCountyLandTrust.org .

The family would like to thank the incredible team at Belmont Village, Dr. Jennifer Connelly and Dr. Wade Mueller at Froedtert & MCOW Hospitals for their excellent care.